imamate

American  

[ih-mah-meyt] / ɪˈmɑ meɪt /

noun

1. the office of an imam.

2. the region or territory governed by an imam.

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imamate British  

/ ɪˈmɑːmeɪt /

noun

1. the region or territory governed by an imam

2. the office, rank, or period of office of an imam

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Etymology

Origin of imamate

First recorded in 1720–30; imam + -ate ³

Example Sentences

For more than 1,000 years they ruled a state — called an imamate — that covered what is now northern Yemen.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2018

Moizz must prove his title to the holy imamate inherited from Ali, to the satisfaction of these experts in genealogy.

From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 05 (From Charlemagne to Frederick Barbarossa) by Horne, Charles F. (Charles Francis)

In 1435 the people rose against the tyranny of the Bani Nebhan and restored the imamate of the tribe al-Azd.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 3 "Apollodorus" to "Aral" by Various

Both circumstances, according to the then prevailing notions, made them unfit for the imamate.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1 "Calhoun" to "Camoens" by Various

The moderate party distinguished itself from the other Moslems only by their doctrine that the imamate belonged legally to a man of the house of the Prophet.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 1 "Calhoun" to "Camoens" by Various